Nokia launches digital radio headset

by10/19/2010 11:19:00 AM

10/19/2010 11:19:00 AM

Can't live without Planet Rock, 6 Music or One Extra? You are the kind of person who might well invest in the newly-launched Nokia Digital Radio Headset. Just as long as you have a handset running Symbian^3.

According to TechRadar, the add-on is being described as a 'breakthrough for digital radio in the UK', turning handsets like the Nokia N8, C7 or E7 into mobile DAB players. Just plug it in, tune in and check out the spectrum of stations on the go. It's that simple.

The price for that ease of use? A not-too-bad £44.99, with a release date of 'this quarter' being mentioned. So in time for Christmas if you like. It might well be cunning move by the Finnish giants, with Mark Selby, Vice President, Industry Collaborations at Nokia claiming: 'Over 90 per cent of UK adults listen to the radio weekly and 24.6 per cent listen via a digital platform.'

That does show an audience interested in DAB, but when you scale it down to owners of Symbian^3 phones, that really reduces the numbers to 'niche' level, at least in the short term. Although, in light of little or no competition on this front, it also means something of a unique selling point for Nokia's new generation of phones too.